If you want to increase the power of your vehicle, you need to know about the risks of chipping your car. After all, every modification to the car needs to be accompanied by a good dose of research to avoid damaging it, right?
We know that you value safety and quality, so in this article we will show you the risks of chipping your car without consulting a specialist. This way, you can make an informed decision to safely increase your vehicle’s power! Keep reading and understand!
What is car chipping?
Chipping the car is related to the installation of a physical part in the car, which power chip, to increase the car's performance.
“Chipping” also ends up being popularly used to refer to the reprogramming procedure of the Electronic Injection Center (ECU). This reprogramming is a change to the software that controls different aspects of the vehicle to increase engine power.
In this sense, it is It is important to separate chipping from Remap. We will go into more detail about this difference later.
In any case, “chipping the car” (reprogramming) is nothing more than gaining more power and torque through modifications to the vehicle's software. However, it is possible to combine software changes with mechanical modifications to extract even more performance.
This difference in procedure is called Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. So, let's understand how these processes work so we can talk about whether there are risks of chipping your car.
How the remap process works
In a very summarized way, the Remap STK Stage 1 generates power and torque gains just with software modifications. While the Stage 2 It has a combination of software changes and small mechanical modifications to extract even more performance from the engine.
To carry out the reprogramming, the specialist accesses the center to read the program. By reading the code, new software is created, now with the desired parameters to achieve greater performance. Finally, the new set of codes is written to the ECU.
Power Chip x Remap
It is also worth mentioning that there are power chips. So far we have talked about reprogramming, which is changing the codes in the ECU itself.
In power chip, on the other hand, it is an external part installed in the vehicle. This chip will be connected to the electronic injection center to change the signals it receives.
In practice, what the chip is doing is tricking the ECU. For example, the chip can alter the sensors to appear to be suboptimal, which causes the injection center to release more power.
In this sense, the ECU remains with its original software, as changes are being made through modifications to the sensor readings. This brings some advantages, such as being able to increase the performance of vehicles that do not yet have reprogramming software available.
However, the chip is quite limited compared to software reprogramming. First, there are more loopholes for data reading failures. Secondly, the ECU can over time correct the sensor parameters, making the chip obsolete.
What are the risks of chipping your car?
When talking about the risks of chipping your car, it is important to always differentiate between reprogramming and the use of an external power chip.
The power chip is a part that affects only some of the main sensors that control the engine's power. Therefore, its influence on the vehicle is quite limited.
On the other hand, the ECU is the brain of the vehicle, controlling a number of aspects of the car, not just engine power. Furthermore, it is a very complex brain, consisting of extensive, complex programs full of tables to control parameters.
The STK Stage 1 and Stage 2 Remap process directly accesses the source code of these programs. With this, it is possible to change several aspects of the car, not only the power and torque, but also:
- Turn off/on catalytic converter or Particle Filter;
- Turn on the EGR valve operating cycle;
- Turn off speed limiter; between others.
Risks of chipping your car: Remap vs Power Chip
Every engine and vehicle is designed to operate within certain limits. Thus, a car designed for high speeds has a strong package to withstand high revs.
In this sense, Remap STK is the safest option to avoid the risk of chipping the car. This is because our software is always developed within safety margins. The software will never overload power and torque in a way that prematurely damages the vehicle.
In the case of the power chip, there is a risk of failure after a period of use, incorrect readings or excessive modifications. In fact, the ECU, over time, corrects the sensors, which makes the chip have a much shorter lifespan.
Benefits of automotive remap
We cannot talk about the risks of chipping your car, without mentioning what the benefits would be. This way, you can analyze the pros and cons to make an informed decision.
In this sense, the remap Strike Brasil allows your vehicle to have:
- Better response at start-up and acceleration;
- More safety when overtaking;
- Fuel economy;
- More comfortable driving;
- Less gear changes;
- Less wear and tear on the driver on long journeys; etc.
How to avoid the risks of chipping your car
As you have seen, reprogramming the electronic injection control unit has direct access to the ECU, which is responsible for controlling much more than just engine power.
In this sense, special care is needed in this procedure to avoid the risk of chipping the car. After all, changing the wrong program settings can cause serious problems and even require replacing the entire control unit.
This type of risk of chipping your car will only happen if it is not done by experts. Remap is a complex process and cannot be done by amateurs.
That's why the Strike Brasil has a team of engineers in Europe, who develop our reprogramming software following strict quality control.
With years of experience in the Remap market, we are the largest reference in Latin America, with units spread across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay and more than 20 thousand reprogrammed vehicles.
Therefore, Reprogramming your vehicle is only possible with specialized companies! Talk to our experts and learn how to make your car more powerful with Remap STK!
